TikToker sentenced for grossly offensive antisemitic posts

A TikTok user who continually posted antisemitic content to her thousands of followers has today been sentenced.

Fiona Ryan, 40, regularly shared her antisemitic views to both TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter), which includes comparing Israeli citizens to Nazis and made jokes about the Holocaust.

Ryan, of Salisbury, described herself as ‘geo-political analyst’ and a journalist in order to report hateful abuse and misinformation against the Jewish community.

Her posts directly compared Ashkenazi Jews with Nazis, and claimed Jewish doctors carried out sex change procedures on children.

Ryan attempted to justify her views by invoking her freedom of expression at trial at Salisbury Magistrates' Court on 4 September 2024.

However, prosecutors with CPS Wessex were able to demonstrate that her posts far exceeded the boundary between freedom of expression and hate speech.

Gavin Sumpter, a Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “Fiona Ryan sought to hide behind the right to freedom of speech, however the court found that her posts and videos were grossly offensive.

“Her vile rhetoric reached a wide audience has caused real harm in the Jewish community, the impact of which she was fully aware of.

“The CPS does not tolerate hate speech and will not hesitate to bring perpetrators to justice.”

She was found guilty after a trial of four offences contrary to section 127 (1)(a) of the Communications Act 2003. Ryan also pleaded guilty at another hearing on 1 November 2024 to a further two offences, relating to posts on the platform X.

Ryan was sentenced to a total of 20 weeks' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.